Dry-pipe valve.



P. FLAMAND.

DRY PIPE VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17, 1917.

1,281,515., Patented June 26, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

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DRY PIPE VALVE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. I7. l9 17.

1,%3L515w Patented June 26, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. FLAMAND.

DRY PIPE VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I7. 1917.

Patented June 26, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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Warren i PAPIE -FiE.

PoUL PLAMAND, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYL ANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MEsNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0, GLOBE AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER COMPANY, or PHILADELPHIA, PENN- SYLVANIA, A- CORPORATION 015 PENNSYLVANIA. I I

DRY-PIPE VALVE.

This invention relates to fire eatinguishing apparatus of the type described andclaimed in the application of Powell Evans, #877,785, dated December 17, 1914, and has for one of its objects the provision of a novel construction of the. parts connecting or associated with certain of the valves whereby said apparatus is fitted for use on systems employing relatively high pressures without danger of any of its parts being so moved or strained as to cause them to improperly A further object of the invention is toso construct the weight supporting lever and the strut whereby pressure is transmitted thereto from the main water valve or clap per as to prevent such-pressure acting direstly upon the weight and also to materially shorten' the length of the lever arm through which force is transmitted from said strut to said lever.

It is also desired to provide an arrangement of lever and strut such as above indicated, in which while the pressure trans "mitted through the strut shall not be exerted directly upon the weight when the apparatus is in its set condition, said weight shall none the less be capable of acting in the desired manner to-seat the valve closing the opening through which the strut passes, when the apparatus goes into action.

These objects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which, I

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a dry pipe valve equipped with my invention;

. Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sections of the strut and lever constructed according to my invention, showing them in their set and released positions respectively and Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views ofthe' strut and lever respectively illustrating their detail construction. v

In Fig. 1 of the above drawings, 1 represents the casing of a drypipe valve having an inlet chamberj'2 designed to be connected to a water supply system, an outlet chem Specification of Letters latent.

Patented June so, iai'z.

Application filed March 17,1917. Serial No. 155,502.

ber connected to 'a sprinkler system contammg air under pressure and an intermediate chamber 4 having an opening to the atmosphere in which is mounted a valve seat 5.. This intermediate chamber also has i a valve seat 6 for an opening into the water chamber 2 as well as a valve seat 7 for an opening into the air chamber 3. The latter chamber likewise has anopening to the atmosphere provided with a valve seat 8..

The flow of water through the chamber 2 to the intermediate chamber 4 is controlled by a main water valve or clapper 9 having a centrally threaded projection or stud on which is mounted a nut holding it to .a lever 10. One arm of this lever is connected to the branched ends of a second lever 12 fulprojections 17 on said'sleeve to permit ofits beingturned.

Pivoted or hinged by a pin 18 to the lever 12 is a third lever 19 on which is pivoted a tumbler 20 placed to engage a nose or projecting portion of'the lever 10,:f'the movement of the tumbler on its pirvot pin, 21 being limited by an abutment ,2 forming part of said lever 19. ,The valve seatTis designed to cooperate with an air valve 23 pivoted or hinged to the casing structure within the air chamber by a spindle 24;

which 'also serves as the pivot for the auxiliary air valve 25 designed to cooperate with the valve seat 8. This valve 23 has on its lower face a pair of-projecting lugs to which is pinned a lever 26, one of whose arms engages a projecting lug 27 on the valve seat 8 while another arm is designed to be engaged by a projecting finger 28 on a weight 29. Said weight is carried on a pin 30 extending between the forks of alever 31 which is pivoted to the casing 1 by a pin or spindle 38.

vFrom Fig. 1 it will be noted that the opening in the weight forthe reception of this pin 30 is of a diameter greater than that of said pin, as are also the openings 32 in the forked end of a strut 33 which is pivoted by a pm' 3a to the upper end of the and 38. The various parts of the strut 33 and lever 31 are so proportioned that when the apparatus is in the set condition as shown in Fig. 1, the pressure of the water in the chamber 2 exerted upon the valve 9,

- is transmitted through the lever 10, tumbler 20, lever 19, and strut 33 directly to the abutments 37, since the openings 32 are of such shape that said strut cannot transmit this pressure directly to the pin 30. The outward pressure on the lever 31 is transmitted through the pin 30 to the head of the lever 29and to its finger 28, from thence through the lever 26 to the auxiliary air'valve 25 which is normally held to its seat by the air pressure in the chamber 3.

With the parts proportioned andarranged as shown, double. the pressure on the water valve 9 will have little if any more eifect upon the lever 31 and the weight 29, than would the transmission of the normal pressure from the strut 33' directly to the pin 30. The danger of causing the weight 29 to swing upwardly around the ivot 30 as a fulcrum'and the straining or improper functioning of the various parts due to an increase of pressure in the'water system connected to the chamber 2 is reduced to a minimum.

in the chamber 3 such as would be caused by the opening of one or more sprinkler heads in the system in which the dry pipe valve isconnected, the raising of the auxiliary valve 25 causes the lever 26 to release the weight 29, thus permitting the latter to swing down around the pivot 30 until its projecting portion .4 0 strikes a part 41 of said lever, whereupon the latter is forcibly swung outwardly on its pin 38 and the weight is caused to directly act upon the pin 30, thus through the strut 33 pulling the lever 19 toward the valve seat 5 so that the valve 35 seats thereon, and freeing the lever 10 so that the valve 9 attached thereto is permitted to swing backaround the pin 11 of the pivot. Water is thus free to pass from the supply system connected to the chamber 2, into the chamber 4L and thence after raising the valve 23, into the air. chamber 3 and the sprinkler system connected thereto.

7 At such time the strut 33 and the lever 31 occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 3, although when the valve is again When, owing to the fall of air pressure set, the act of moving these parts by raising the weight 29, will cause them to move 1 into the positions shown in Fig. 2, by the time that the finger 28 of the weight has passed under and is being held by the lever 26 of the auxiliary air valve.

The arrangement above described is useful not only in preventing damagev or improper functioning ofthe parts specified due to excessive water pressures but acts in a similar manner to prevent damage or overstraining from improper adjustment of the lever 12 by means of the-sleeve 16 and nut 15.

It is to be understood that while I have shown the points of engagement of the strut 23 and lever 31 about half way between the pins 30 and 38, the distance of these points from the latter of said pins may be varied in either direction without departing from my invention.

I claim 1. The combination in a dry pipe valve device of a plurality of valves normally closed against fluid under pressure, mechanism for connecting certain of the valves consisting of a movably mounted arm; a pivot pin; two members hinged by said pin to the arm; with means for. causing the thrust exerted by one of said members to be normally transmitted to the arm independently of the pin.

2. The combination'in a dry pipe valve device of a plurality of valves. normally closed against fluid under pressure, mechanism for connecting certain of the valves consisting of a movably mounted arm; a

pivot pin; two members hinged by said pin cause the thrust exerted upon the latter to be transferred to the arm independently of said pin.

3. The combination in a dry pipe valve device of a plurality of valves normally closed against fluid under pressure, mechanism for connecting certain of the valves consisting of a movably mounted arm; a pivot pin carried thereby; a member mounted on the pivot pin for transmitting force from the arm; and a'second member loose on the pivotpin and engaging the arm independently of said pin to transmit force thereto. v 1

4. The combination in a dry pipe valve device of a plurality of valves normally closed against fluid under pressure, mechanism for connecting certain of the valves consisting of a lever; two members; an element common to said members and movably connecting them to the lever; .with means for causing force to be transmitted from one of the members to a'point on the'lever nearer the fulcrum than said element.

5. Thecombination in a dry pipe valve device of a plurality of valves normally closed against fluid under'pressure, mecha nism for connecting certain of thevalves in-' cluding a lever fulcrumed to the casing of the dry pipe valve and having an abutment; a pivot member on the lever farther from the fulcrum than said abutment; means for normally preventing movement of the lever on its fulcrum; and a member transmitting force to the lever, loosely connected thereto by said pivot member and having a nose normally engaging said abutment.

6. The combination in a dry pipe valve device of a lever fulcrumed to the casing thereof; an abutment on the lever; a pivot member engaging said lever farther from the fulcrum than said abutment; a weight hinged to the lever by said pivot member and normally tending to turn the same on its fulcrum; with a member normally exerting pressure against the abutment and also loosely connected to the leverb-y said pivot member.

7. The combination in-a dry pipe val e device of a plurality of valves normally closed against fluid under pressure, mechanism connecting certain of the valves including a lever having two branches and pro vided with two abutments; a pivot member carried by the branches; a weight mounted on the pivot member; a member having forks respectively engaging the abutments of the lever and loosely connected thereto by the pivot member; and means engaging the weight for'normally retaining it with the lever in a raised position.

8. The combination in a dry pipe valve device of a plurality of valves normally closed against fluid under pressure, means for operatively connecting certain of the valves including a lever; a weight pivoted thereto and normally held in an elevated position; with means for transmitting pressure to the lever at a point nearer the fulcrum thereof than the point of attachment of the weight.

9. The combination in a dry pipe valve device of a casing having water and air valves of which the latter normally closes an opening to the atmosphere; a strut operatively connected to the water valve and extending through an opening in the casing to the outside thereof; a lever pivoted outside of the casing and having an abutment for engagement by the strut; a pivot pin on the lever farther from the fulcrum thereof than said abutment and loosely engaged by the strut; With a weight mounted on the pivot pin and normally held raised by the air valve.

In witness whereof I affix my signature.

POUL FLAMAND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

